Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Zeleen replies quickly "a dozen or so. I didn't stop long enough to check."
Don-Jon thinks about it and replies in dwarvish "it's uncommon, but I've met dwarves that bury their dead outside. Always under a pile of stones. We should check that graveyard." Lothlién looks at you with a look of annoyance on his head, as he's the only one from the group that doesn't speak the language.
"Getting rid from a band of orcs would improve the general safety of the area anyway" Don-Jon agrees "I would prefer to go with you, I have some experience using a knife too."
Zeleen and her people let you talk without disturbing you, but keep looking in your general direction all the time. Xarroth looks around, but don't see any signs of orc weapons or corpses in this room.
"Yeah, I'm getting a similar feeling Xarroth. Perhaps after we count the graves, they would allow us with Don-Jon to look over the mine to make sure it's still in ok condition, perhaps the workers are locked up, however many are left. Or Would Sebastian be able to fly into the area they described to get a count?" Rhok quietly asks the group
Currently playing: Rhok Skatu - Another Dragon at Icespire Peak
"If Don-Jon would like to accompany us to take care of the Orcs, we could head out and see the scope of their raiding. Perhaps we can thin their numbers before going for their main encampment." Rhok suggests "We should also get a final confirmation from Zeleen that they will move back to their original home and leave the mines as is before they head out if we take this course" he says while nodding his head gesturing towards Zeleen's group
Currently playing: Rhok Skatu - Another Dragon at Icespire Peak
"Seems like we can check those graves as we head out." Lia says with a shrug. She would have Sabastian fly further into the mines and check the place out a bit as they talk.
Since the doors leading east from this room are closed, Sabastian takes the route going south, managing to fly without anyone noticing. There is a storage room after a passage, filled with wooden posts like the ones holding up the ceiling and two closed doors.
Hearing that you plan to get rid of the orcs, Zeleen is happy to let you leave "as soon as our old home is rid of those infested orcs, we would gladly leave this caves."
Don-Jon confirms that he would go with you to secure the area from the orcs. Once out of hearing range he adds "I don't trust that Zeleen, and those varmint headed guards give me the willies. I'll be happy when they leave this place."
On your way out, Sabastian slips into the passage going north and flies further into the mines. There he* spots a pantry filled with food crates and water barrels. Then flies into another tunnel, going almost 200 feet and passing multiple closed doors. Finally he reaches a caved in passage, where a human miner corpse lies holding a pickaxe. Looking at the body up close he spots multiple stab wounds.
Once out of the caves, you walk along the hillside until you are at the other side of the mountain. You easily find the graves, ten in total making a circle, each marked with a pickaxe. The earth was disturbed recently to dig them and four of them have a head sized stone next to the pickaxe.
OOC: I don't remember if I should refer to Sabastian as he or she, please correct me if I'm wrong.
"That doesn't look good... I mean, what are the odds that something kill a bunch of miners, someone else vurries them and leave, and a few days later Zeleen and friends conviniently find the place? However, I think we should stick with the plan: first we deal with the orcs, then with Zeleen and the rat-heads..." Lothlién proposes, and takes his way as soon as everyone looks like they know enough about the place
(Sabastian is a he.)
"Sabastian is perched near a dead miner, with many stab wounds. The miner not Sabastian, with the wounds." Lia informs the others. "He is deep inside the mines right now, and that miner was definitely killed with a blade." She looks to the others. "I'd say those people in the mines didn't just move in here, but took it over on the dead bodies of the dwarfs that lived there." She glances to their charge. "Do you want to trust the word of a group of murderers, and maybe worse, or do we need to do something about them here and now?"
She turns to the others of the group. "I, for one, doubt they will leave even if we take care of the orcs." She says. "Maybe they will, but I truly can't force myself to accept their word for doing so at face value." She shrugs. "I don't know if it is worth going back in to deal with them, since we already planned on doing something about orcs, and I am not sure we can do anything for the dwarfs that lived here before." She nods to the graves. "There are quite a few graves here, plus the dead one Sabastian is near, but doesn't that leave a couple still unaccounted for?"
As she is speaking Lia is pacing back and forth, one hand brushing hair back behind an ear. She keeps glancing to the mines, and towards where Sabastian is located deep inside of them. She is clearly agitated, waving her hand as she speaks and her face grim.
OOC: Do we or Don-Jon know aproximately how many people should be in the mines?
"With the knowledge we have now, we must simply do both. But we must let the rats know why Platinum justice has come to root them out - we just have to be prepared." Xarroth eyes darts over to the guards at the entrance.
"Agreed" Rhok nods along with what the group is saying "The other issue, these people know of the mines and what it contains, Don-Jon will need a guard detail along with a new set of miners once at best that they've moved out. But I have a funny feeling they'll need "help" relocating out of the mines. Might as well get ourselves stronger before we deal with these....vermin"
"Is this entrance the only way into the mine? I'd think the dwarves would have a emergency entrance/exit somewhere else" Rhok asks Don-Jon
"Otherwise, I'm ready to hunt some Orc whenever you all are"
Currently playing: Rhok Skatu - Another Dragon at Icespire Peak
"Just wish I knew if all of the miners were accounted for." Lia says, kicking a stone as she continues to pace. She gives a sigh though. "Since we cannot know any are in need of our aid, I agree going to deal with the orcs can be our next concern." She stops pacing, brushing her white hair back behind her ear once again. Her eyes go vacant as she concentrates on Sabastian again, taking one last look around near the dead miner he had found. If she sees nothing else there, then she will simply summon him back to her side.
The situation is tense, Don-Jon takes his hat off and paces around the graves, looking at each one before moving to the next "the ones with a stone next to the pickaxe seem to be smaller than the others. I would say dwarves lie on them." He walks away from the graves "someone must be still alive, the dead wouldn't be able to bury themselves. And I was told to expect 15 people working the mine."
"My employers didn't have a map of this place, but it's common for mines to have a second entrace to help with ventilation." He turns toward the mountain and starts looking around.
Sabastian flies around, trying to stay out of sight. There are no other humanoids in the few rooms without doors, one has wheelbarrows and shovels, another is swarming with at least four giant rats. The familiar can't see anything else of importance without opening doors and is safely summoned back to Lia, thankful to be out of the mine for now.
Looking at the mountainside west of the graveyard, Lia spots a cave entrance 20 feet up a rocky slope. It should be easy to climb if you walk slowly (or take a DC 10 Athetics check to climb at normal speed).
Rhok spots heavy boot tracks going south from the graveyard, it follows the mountainside for 100 feet and ends in some bushes that hide another tunnel at ground level.
"I found some heavy boot tracks leading south from the graveyard! This way, there may be survivors..." Rhok follows the tracks and stops in front of some bushes in front of a new tunnel. In Dwavish he calls out without being too loud "My friends we come to help, we have your new Overseer, Don-Jon, and are troubled that we did not find you in the mine"
Currently playing: Rhok Skatu - Another Dragon at Icespire Peak
"I also found a cave..." Lia informs the group, nodding up the slope. "I'll have Sabastian check out the cave, while we move to this tunnel behind the bushes..." She then has the owl fly up to look in the cave up the slope.
"That changes everything" Lothlién states after Don-Jon reports the expected 15 people. "If there may be people still in danger here, we should try to deal with that as soon as possible."
He follows Rhok to the entrance of the tunnel.
A deep voice replies quietly from inside "finally, we were expecting him sooner." A dwarf walks slowly outside, as if each step was a battle, using a pickaxe as a walking stick and shielding his eyes from the sunlight. He is wearing dirt stained clothes and you can't tell the original color of his beard from the dust all over him. "I'm Falkrunn Frostbeard, leader of what's left of the miners here."
Sabastian flies stealthy into the entrance over the ridge. He finds a narrow, dark tunnel that twists into the mountain for 70 or 75 feet before it reaches a closed door. No signs of miners on this tunnel as far as the owl sees.
Xarroth starts at a surprise voice, but eases seeing a dwarf, "Ah, yes. Someone to confirm what is going on... Can we speak in the open?" Then he switches to Dwarvish, "Or shall we be more covert?"
"Another door up in the cave." Lia reports as she moves to join the others, leaving the owl to keep watch on the door it found in the cave. She nods a greeting to the dwarf. "Can you tell us what happened?" She asks him.
"Greetings Falkruun, are you injured? I can provide you some aid" Rhok greets the dwarf "Yes, we all would love to learn what happened here"
Currently playing: Rhok Skatu - Another Dragon at Icespire Peak
"Nice meeting someone who speaks my language" replies Falkrunn in common "but I have nothing to hide."
"Injured? No. Just hungry. We barricaded ourselves in and our rations ran out two days ago. It was my turn to keep watch. We would appreciate any food you have to spare, there are four more with me and two of them can barely move." His face is somber as he speaks.
Falkrunn tells you he has worked in the mines for almost a year now, but a pack of wererats took control of it a couple weeks ago. They killed most of the miners, but have not bothered to break into the room were the survivors are hiding "they probably don't know about this other entrance and are just waiting for us to starve to death."
Don-Jon makes a hard grimace "I knew we shouldn't trust those varmints."
Inside the cave, Sabastian notices a four feet long insect like monster clinging to the ceiling. It seems to be sleeping for now.